Four children abandoned their paralyzed father until his death.

Seventy-year-old Ghanshyam took his final breath on August 4 in a Bhopal shelter, completely forsaken by the four children he raised single-handedly. He spent the last four years of his life at the Apna Ghar old-age home, battling paralysis in total isolation. Following his passing, the facility waited two full days for his two sons and two daughters to arrive. Sadly, nobody showed up to claim his body or perform his final rites. This heartbreaking reality in Madhya Pradesh reflects a gaping crisis slowly gripping cities like Bhubaneswar, where rapid urbanization and changing family dynamics increasingly leave elderly parents isolated and vulnerable.

Heartbreak after Decades Of Sacrifice

Ghanshyam once ran a modest bicycle tyre-and-tube business in Indore to support his family. His wife passed away when his youngest daughter was just two years old, leaving him to act as both mother and father. Decades later, relatives sold his small house, divided the money among themselves, and cut all ties. Young social workers eventually found him abandoned at the ISBT bus terminal in Bhopal. He was partially paralyzed, struggling to speak, and unable to walk properly. They brought him to Apna Ghar, which became his final sanctuary.

Excuses Instead Of Compassion

Madhuri Mishra runs the Apna Ghar facility. She explained how her team repeatedly tried to contact the family during medical emergencies over the past four years. The children offered nothing but excuses. One family member explicitly stated over the phone that they had severed all ties after splitting the property funds. When the shelter informed the family about his passing, the children still refused to visit. One daughter claimed her father favored the sons with property, while the sons argued their father never did enough for them. They simply asked the shelter to handle the cremation and mail them the official documents.

Seeking Dignity in Final Moments

Police officials eventually stepped in to help the shelter staff perform the funeral. Now, the estranged family continues to demand paperwork to process their remaining affairs. Madhuri Mishra stands firm in her refusal to hand over the death certificate. She questions why relatives who ignored a father in life, and skipped his funeral, deserve these documents now.

Image Courtesy: Wishes and Blessings